Halo 3: ODST... 7 Years Later

Lucas "CuHnadian" Raycevick returns to analyze one of the most controversial Halo games of its time.
Timeline:
Intro: 0:00
Honey, I Shrunk The Team - 5:33
On A Dark And Stormy Night - 7:06
One Big (Sort Of) Happy Reunion - 13:22
The Clues - 16:13
Bam! Said The Man! - 21:21
Can't Reach The Sky - 23:26
Greatness And Shame - 25:48
---
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[@MrAppleby56]

I still listen to the score of ODST regularly.

[@Brilloisk]

Deference for darkness, baby.

[@sixtycats8652]

oh god damnit why are you here ainsley

[@nemoku1071]

Ainsley Harriott I listen to it every day, along with every other classic Halo OST.

[@fatalmokrane]

The Menagerie is super EPIC

[@sc-ev5ui]

Ainsley Harriott Same Ainsley, same.

[@40MikeActual]

How can you hate the saxophone? Or the piano?

[@SearchEast2069]

FACTS

[@SZF123456]

They are too sexy to hate I do not understand this either

[@MrBrainiacian500]

I think it was a bassoon that he didn't like. They sound pretty awful without proper execution.

[@grapefruitstudios]

that wasnt a bassoon

[@cas343]

They're not appropriate thematically.

[@MrLgmuffinman]

Can't believe he said he hates the saxophone

[@Prikense]

Doublevision @.@ or the piano

[@nietzchepreacher9477]

bass clarinet

[@sir.mannington]

They gained independence to get stuck with Activision. Sounds like a raw deal.

[@allbottledup9513]

Sir. Mannington And now they have independence from Activision. Let’s hope they don’t get with another abusive spouse lol

[@cjlange78]

@@allbottledup9513 The bungie team is only a shell of what it once was, with so many head devs gone.

[@four-en-tee]

TFW you leave a big AAA publisher to go indie, only to end up getting paired up with a worse AAA publisher. Oh the irony...

[@MEXICANMAU19]

@@four-en-tee second worst. dont forget EA

[@TheForsakenEagle]

@@four-en-tee It's like they traded a mob boss for a pimp.

[@ChrisBerke]

I always thought ODST was proof that Bungie had natural talent. They put out a great game/story with minimal resources and time.

[@spezialissimo]

Then Destiny came out

[@DrIvoRobotnick]

Yea it's like New Vegas or KOTORII, cheap but it told a good story.

[@four-en-tee]

It really doesn't though? I mean, don't get me wrong, ODST is my second favorite Halo of all time (with Reach and 3 tied as my first), but ODST's story, overworld map, and gameplay is incredibly under-cooked. Hell, even in world-building aspects, the ODSTs are depicted in that game as being stronger than spartans sometimes. Did you know that you can carry turrets faster in ODST than in Halo 3? While i'm not the biggest fan of how Raycevick articulates his arguments and shite (i'm way too spoiled by MauLer and by how much he revises his video essays), I do agree with him that the game could've taken an almost Bioshock or Souls-like approach to enemies. They also could've reduced jump height and overall player gravity to something more akin to CoD to invoke a more human player character, as well as making the ODSTs a bit more smaller and giving them fall damage. The only reason i think the change in gameplay wasn't done was to keep from alienating Halo fans (that, and it could've also had to do with ODST being rushed), but that's still not an excuse for the character heights. ODSTs should at least be slightly shorter than the Jackals, if not as tall as the grunts which are about 5 1/2 feet tall according to Halo's own lore. Ultimately, this is just a problem of Halo not being consistent with its enemy heights (elites in Halo tend to fluctuate in size as well, appearing sometimes larger than spartans despite both of them supposedly being 8 feet tall), but regardless, the series could really use a greater attention to detail in future releases. I'm still somewhat of a proponent that the Halo novels should be the point of reference for designing the character models in the games. Its where most of the Halo lore comes from, so it only makes sense that future games should reference them. But hey, at least Buck's height in ODST isn't as jarring as his height in Halo 5...

[@GummyKermit]

@@four-en-tee I think what you're missing is the part where he said "limited time" as for height yah jackals and grunts are still somewhat shorter than you, but load up that game and hop into a mongoose I think you'll find that your really fucking tiny. I'd also say that the longer range grenade throw and the faster move speed with the turrets seemed more like quality of life additions rather than straight retcons just little things to tweak the gameplay.

[@dss1095]

Odst truncated the world and halved the main characters powers, resulting in a unique experience in 2020, but in earlier years the negativity is understood

[@salimzerroukat2645]

Wasn't there an achievement for not killing a single Engineer throughout the entire campaign (alluding to it being possible to not kill a single Engineer)?

[@anthony639]

yea i believe its called "Good Samaritan" for 20 GS

[@salimzerroukat2645]

Ah, thought as much. Never bothered to complete it, though.

[@salimzerroukat2645]

I just found them to not be that interesting of an enemy. From a game-play perspective they didn't provide anything really new or interesting to the combat dynamic, and ended up being more than an annoyance than a threat. Lore wise, they seem to have just been introduced into ODST, so as to try and make out that there is more content, and justifying the structure. They also aren't that very fleshed out, and seem to have just been forgotten. For Halo 6, I doubt 343i will bring back the engineers, and they would probably ruin them if they did. However, I do think that they dropped the ball, as, from the small amount we do know on the engineers, they were designed to mange and maintain forerunner structure, making me question as to why they aren't in the new games, when they're entirely focused on forerunner.

[@JahonCross]

Leeroy Fennekin is it in the MCC

[@67tedward]

In odst the engineers are really portrayed as pacifists being forced to fight by the covenant. I used to find it kind of disturbing that brutes were rigging them with explosives and detonating them like bombs for literally no reason since they're more useful as shield generators in combat, and this is despite that they were made by forerunners so the covenant should be more revering of them.

[@wyattw9727]

ODST is one of my favorite Halo games because of the atmosphere. ODST, in its heart, was a film noir, from the snazzy jazz music to the detective storyline, which happens to be one of the my single favorite genres of fiction altogether (only surpassed really by the Greek Tragedy and Epic). While it had many short comings, it was just... different from the rest of the Halo games, and I really liked that difference. You didn't feel like a godly superhuman warrior. While yes, the Rookie ironically is MORE durable than Master Chief, he doesn't punch quite as hard, which I noticed because my fist has been my #1 weapon in every single game of Halo. ODST felt like the one Halo game that was really meant to be played on Heroic, to best capture the dark, vulnerable atmosphere of the game as you wandered through a dark abandoned city, completely alone.

[@mattd5240]

ODST shouldve had melee weapons instead of punching.

[@aspenfacer-valentine4397]

+Vanguard Productions I almost wish assassinations were around in ODST, because that seems like the exact type of tactics the ODST would have to use to even the odds a little bit. If the game had put more emphasis on stealth, I could imagine that sneaking around to take out the leader of a group and grab his power weapon would be the best strategy to survive otherwise tough encounters.

[@wyattw9727]

ChaseTheStars I did stealth my entire way through the Rookie missions ._.

[@joshuadario166]

Wyatt Wilmot k

[@alyssinclair8598]

Wyatt Wilmot I liked how with careful ambushes you could take out most enemies in seconds.

[@Worldwidegam3r]

Damn i was hoping you would bring up the parts in Data Hive that happen when you collect all 40 audio logs: The NMPD officer going to inspect kinslers body and the change in cut scene where the rookie whistles.

[@Raycevick]

I never knew about that, missed it in my research.

[@Worldwidegam3r]

CuHnadian Even i didnt know about it until over a year ago and ive played Halo 3 odst since launch xD

[@slvrcobra1337]

I actually JUST heard about that not too long ago, but I can't find any footage of it and I'd rather not have to do it myself...

[@pleasestoptrackingmeasio7657]

First ever actual human enemy.

[@xDinomanx]

Yeah because then that would've been a counter to what he said at 12:20 about how the audio files don't really tie in with the story because as you'll discover, they do with that segment with the NMPD Officer. As we know if you play the game through to there not having collected every audio file in the game, he gets trapped in the room above as you hop down before getting killed by a swarm of drones in that room. Whereas having collected all of the files, he still follows you until you reach that freezer room.

[@FAWX]

"we want to have more creative freedom." >Partners with activision

[@RedBonkleMan8534]

Bungie after leaving activision: “yeah that was a mistake”

[@Chuked]

Fuck activision

[@shanez1215]

@@RedBonkleMan8534 Bungie after getting purchased by Sony: "No it wasn't"

[@TheChiperSdre34]

There's an order to the missions because the whole point is that The Rookie is trying to find his team. He follows the clues left behind by all his squadmates until they lead him within range of Dare's distress call. I agree the actual story isn't the greatest, but it's still a great way to deliver the atmosphere and gameplay unique to ODST.

[@aspenfacer-valentine4397]

I do have to agree that the fact that the missions have a set order is a non-issue for me. My problem is that in retrospect, the Rookie had very little impact on the story until the end. The way I would change that is by having the Rookie meet up with Dare at some point along the way, and actively try to get in touch with the others (IE by taking down a communications jammer or something of that nature).

[@TheChiperSdre34]

Yeah, his lack of importance until the very end both speak to the super short nature of the game as well as just a flaw in the storytelling. Bungie could have done a better job, but I'll still say ODST is one of my favorite games and my favorite Halo any day for the atmosphere and feel alone. Not objectively the best though.

[@aspenfacer-valentine4397]

For what it is (that is to say, a game that started as DLC and was developed in about a year) ODST is amazing... But there is still so much wasted potential that deserved so much more attention. Could you imagine what this game would be with a full development cycle? Not to go randomly bashing other games, but if COD did something like this where they modified the gameplay formula as much as possible in the time given to them, I might actually buy into it. Building a game for a new genre every installment would never get stale (if done right), but it would also probably further split the fanbase with each release. Doesn't matter to those who do it for the art, but can be counterproductive when trying to make money off of a franchise.

[@aekaralagonisi]

I think it would be better if the rookie main part was more of a fight for survival fest, with very scarce resources and limited melee damage and durability against the Covenant, emphasizing more tactics, careful ammo usage and weapon usage. The flashbacks were really cool, though they might have been best if the rookie had a main objective, such as the communications jammer you mentioned, and the flashbacks happened during the journey to it. For instance, you have to cross a large area, where a group of elite brutes are camped. After a firefight, a cutscene plays where you look for equipment and find a piece from another ODST that leads to a flashback. I think they should have taken more of a risk and gone with a survival tone, especially since most ODSTs were cannon fodder originally. I love the video's suggestion of taking ques from Demon's Souls, since such survival/difficulty elements would have gone perfectly with the vulnerability of the human soldiers.

[@aspenfacer-valentine4397]

+George Krontiris I always thought that the mood of ODST would fit a gameplay type that was somewhere between stealth and conventional shooter. Unfortunately, the open world wasn't quite open enough that you could completely avoid the big groups of enemies. Now that I think about it, the Superintendent could have been used as the primary objective from the beginning; it could have led the Rookie to it, and then helped him set up a way out of the city for the rest of the team. Maybe it could even switch between the squad mates as they make their way through the city towards him, reuniting one more person with Buck each mission until the whole squad is headed towards the Rookie. Then the escape mission plays out like it did originally, perhaps minus the escort part near the end. This video may call the usage of "horde mode" out, but I think it was well done. Besides, as the saying goes, "tropes are not bad". Horde mode isn't a problem so long as it isn't overused.

[@7dogguy]

you forgot about firefight :o

[@Raycevick]

Not available in MCC, didn't have enough people on 360 to play a match, and also... there's not much to discuss in Firefight. I'll probably cover it in my Reach video.

[@7dogguy]

yeah but to be honest most people feel that firefight odst was the best iteration you could have just took some dev footage or something or like trailers

[@7dogguy]

Also this is an amazing series. so far, that has been your only flaw. This is super professional, I enjoy the lack of cursing, the serious tone and objective thinking!

[@Raycevick]

I pride myself on displaying what I criticize instead of throwing up trailer footage and ranting like many KZbinrs. Dev Trailers for Firefight would not be able to show my criticisms. Thanks for the compliment! Anyone that knows me in person isn't used to me using a serious tone with a lack of swearing, but unless it's for comedic effect, I don't bother with it in videos anymore. Hope to see you back when the next video is completed.

[@BushMasterFlex69]

I have to agree. I was disappointed that you didn't dig into firefight, as I felt it was the best in the series as far as balance and polish goes. It was perfect for me too, as I never had access to the internet (that wasn't dial-up) until 2011. Having something else to do offline besides the campaign and split-screen 1v1's was a true Holy Grail to me and my friends. Going for the challenging achievements associated with the mode were very rewarding to me. Especially considering it was most of the time just me and sometimes one other friend doing them haha. I found that even the scoring system was very satisfying and rewarding to skilled players. I nearly had a heart attack when I scored well over 500,000 points on one of the maps by my self haha. Still have the theatre film saved as well haha. Im hoping for you weigh in on Reach, that you give the ODST firefight at least 5 min of time to lay out the ground work for the mode's re-appearance in the next game. Thanks for the great vids 😃

[@illuminantbaegis5984]

Halo: ODST is a odd entity in my eyes; ill put it short; how in the world did a halo game _without multiplayer_ do so good? I dont know. But I love the game, and its one of my personal favourites.

[@Don-tg1ns]

if odst did have multiplayer though... good god... it would've been fantastic. it might've had the funnest multiplayer a halo game could have...

[@doctorrespecc1644]

illuminantBaegis Think of assassin's creed, no multiplayer, still fucking better than cod infinite warfare

[@aspenfacer-valentine4397]

+Christine Muniz And it was pushed out in a year to boot... If COD could do something innovative within the constraints of what can be made in a year, I would buy it with no hesitation. The problem is that they market every game as the best thing since sliced bread, when it is just a reskin of the last game they made.

[@syloui]

it did well because despite what a childhood friend of mine once said, Halo in fact 𝑖𝑠𝑛'𝑡 only good for it's multiplayer.

[@wishbvne2974]

illuminantBaegis semicolons, italics, and "favourite". jfc

[@JustAndre92]

The big thing that always bugged me _vis-à-vis_ the ODSTs feeling only barely less powerful than the Master Chief was the fact that you could still flip overturned vehicles with a mere button-press. How much more interesting would it have been if getting ejected from your vehicle was suddenly a major setback that forced you to really think about how you drove lest you be forced to play opportunistically for potentially a lengthy and harrowing chunk of the level to get a replacement vehicle (perhaps even making a mechanic of luring Brutes to flip over your vehicle for you to commandeer it so you could attempt to kill them as quickly as possible and take the vehicle back), rather than simply a few seconds' annoyance? All it would have really required was disabling that one contextual button-press, and it would've gone so far in reinforcing the impression that you're a soldier caught in the middle of a warzone instead of some hulking superhero.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Excellent point! At the very least have it bet an animation that takes time, or always set vehicle sections with things warthog-sized and larger on maps with friendly AI, and someone needs to come over and help you flip it. That would be a very sobering moment for the Halo players so used to instantaneously flipping the hog.

[@3N1StaticGaming]

Halo 3 ODST was one of my favorite games. TO this day it still is!

[@sekiko7183]

"Feet first into hell. "

[@3N1StaticGaming]

Sekiko 824 Amen brother

[@ThisShitIsWeird]

3N1Static Gaming Same, dude. I love thr feeling of eerie-ness

[@leakycheese]

Agreed! While this review is technically very good (kudos to COG) it does over analyses the experience of playing ODST by revisiting from the perspective of multiple play throughs. That's not what this game is about, you can't beat that first time through feel and the wonderful environment of New Mombasa that Bungie crafted.

[@TheFlipsta97]

3N1Static Gaming First game where so got every achievement. I played it on normal, hard then very hard, and loved every second.

[@lmncarlson]

I've been watching this entire series, and I really have to commend you for the balls it takes to make a video in the style that you have. Most people would look at these games through rose tinted glasses and talk about their perfection. You on the other hand, have been critical in a very informative and respectable way that makes these videos stand out. Keep it up.

[@Raycevick]

I find that there's a difference between "Reviewers" and "Critics", even though they're supposed to be the same. My inspirations were people like Super Bunnyhop, Matthewmatosis, Rageaholic, and Yahtzee, who I consider to be the latter. Far too often I see people say something is perfect when it's not, or say something is the worst because of one subjective change they don't like, and Halo fans have plenty of both. Complete objectivity is impossible, but it's always something to strive for. ...I don't know where this came from, but your comment brought it out of me. :D Thank you for watching!

[@cwiz.]

Person. I disagree. If you're referring to The Act Man, he actually makes extremely valid points when discussing the flaws within halo 5's campaign, but also would mention when his personal opinion came into play for specific parts. He actually is knowledgeable on the brought up subjects and he states that he has things he likes about the game, but decided to make the video series focusing on the flaws in halo 5 regarding story telling, character development, marketing, dialogue, etc. His and this channel are pretty much the only channels I watch regarding halo. They are definitely different channels and aren't really going for the same goals regarding these types of videos, whether it be analysis or whatever. This channel is awesome!

[@cwiz.]

*****​ lol you literally only listed like 2 things out of entire video series, with one of your statements being from a video outside of the series. A good majority of his brought up subjects are correct and most definitely valid, unless you want to refute the subjects such as poor storytelling, dialogue, action/fight scenes, character development, lack of supporting information, and many more aspects he mentioned. He complained about who Locke is because they expected you to know expanded lore prior to playing Halo to even have a decent understanding of who he is, where he came from, what his conflicts were, etc. while you played and watched him at the very beginning of the game. They shouldn't tell you later in the game, while majority of players won't even care who he is until then. And also I said, he clearly has his own personal opinion about a few things as he mentioned, but a good majority of his information within the series are well made points. Obviously you're getting a bit insecure over the fact that someone watches The Act Man lol Stating that halo fans do not like Act Man and that his content is only for the uneducated clearly shows your ignorance. Halofollower fails to even back up any of his critiques within the game, as opposed to act man lol the act man has always reached out to many other Halo channels, that doesn't mean he automatically "goes with Halofollower" as he actually has differing takes on many aspects within the halo series. I mean we can agree to disagree, as this isn't likely to go anywhere.

[@cwiz.]

*****​​ I'm not saying the past halo games didn't have any flaws, so I'm not sure why you're comparing them as if it is helping to support your argument. The difference between the introduction of Locke vs the introduction of the prophet, chief or Cortana is that Locke was built up in marketing and expanded lore with with information about him they expected us to know, unlike the other examples you mentioned. The prophet of regret wasn't a main protagonist. At least it gave background and supporting information to the arbiter before we started playing as him. It doesn't give any decent insight into who locke was, or who his team is. The same goes for blue team. How'd chief find them, or did they find chief, when did they meet up, why did they meet up, etc. And you've still only elaborated on like two things out of the entire series, without even refuting majority or even 5 percent of the brought up flaws. I'm not saying he is perfect, but don't act like he didn't bring up any decent points regarding halo 5's poor story. And as I said, he has his personal opinions about some of things within the game clearly, as you seem to enjoy nitpicking one or two quotes within the entire series that shows that.

[@CyberCheese392]

Hey! That's the generic comment I give all of the reviewers too!

[@DrdrGames]

Goddam that change from a nerdy child's voice to one of the most pleasing voices on KZbin was shocking (this is my first time watching a video of yours)

[@nekrositoh]

Dylan Palmer are you related to commander sarah palmer?

[@VenusWarlords]

His voice is still nasally and obnoxious, what the fuck are you smoking?

[@simplesabahanguy9976]

Dylan Palmer same here

[@Chopstorm.]

Dylan Palmer Good recording equipment makes a world of difference.

[@dominicbann4765]

The voice sounds super snarky

[@thaddeushamlet]

One of my favourite humanizing moments for the rookie was when you find Dare's helmet. That small finger point was both quite humourous and relatable. You find a helmet embedded in a wall and do a simple motion that simultaneously says: "Based on what I know, this was its trajectory," and "Holy f***ing shit it came from all the way over there. Unrelated to that moment specifically but another subtlety that I really liked is the Virgil clip of the helmet being flung away. You can see Virgil's "emotions" as he watches the helmet fly, first showing a puzzled expression as it's airborne, then a happy/excited one when it enters the building, like he's already predicted having to help the Rookie, and this just created a new thing to lead him to. (Throwing aside the logic of that being the case, it's a really cool detail to add.)

[@Lupirio23]

I like that thought. Working my way through the MCC solo and while remembering back on ODST I do believe I felt a connection with Virgil's monitoring.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

I watched those little faces like a HAWK, wanting to know what the Superintendent thought about a sight or situation so I could try and guess where the plot was headed.

[@YaBoi-mi6kh]

It's mentioned in the video that you have to kill engineers and have no choice, but I'm pretty sure the game had an achievement for completing the campaign without killing any

[@nekrositoh]

Giant Dad yeap..i got that achievement..they only one that gets killed is the one thay gets sniped by your AI friend.

[@SmogFTW]

Good samaritan

[@distantsea]

Only the new mombasa sections

[@Alejoro1688]

I got the achievement too and i have the full odst armour for my avatar

[@ChoolyBuzkill]

Instant chills when Deference for Darkness started playing... love ODST's soundtrack

[@noble20xx56]

ChoolyBuzkill Agreed! I NEED to make a playlist.

[@civilwarfare101]

I didn't know what the song was called despite me always listening to it.

[@Recon_Ninja]

You are criminally undersubscribed. Your content is way better than plenty of big game commentators. I actually prefer the long runtime for these videos since you have so much to say. Awesome work!

[@Raycevick]

Thank you! Long runtimes are certainly not for everyone, but I've always loved those kind of videos from Super Bunnyhop & Matthewmatosis.

[@FullMetalHans]

Exactly, as a Halo bred player, I appreciate the all the effort you put into you videos.

[@shep9231]

Indeed sir!.

[@meaningawaitsforyou]

Hey if you guys like the long analysis videos as much as I do, check out joseph anderson's youtube channel.

[@llovelydaisy9470]

its 27 minutes but i was hella interested and enjoyed all of it

[@Akosa117]

The super intendant is the one leading you around the clues. That's why you find them in order and that's why you end up in range of dares signal. He was leading you to her.

[@jeff3221]

There isn't any order to the clues though? You get all the audio logs in order but the locations you recover them from are non linear. Where you found your 25th log I found my 6th. And how many players do you think even collected all the logs like we did?

[@Akosa117]

@@jeff3221 For the sake of gameplay bungie has it set up like that. But canonically the super intendent is leading rookie to dare. Thats how you find her. rookie doesn't just stumble upon her randomly.

[@mikauanaki4866]

(As one can see by my profile picture, I love this game.) This series so far has opened my eyes to flaws I either ignored or was unable to experience. (due to lack of XBL.) You raised questions that only floated in the darkest corner of my mind. "What's the point of anything the Rookie does?" "Who is this rando Elite in golden armor?" I should be pissed that you are dissecting and nitpicking one of my favorite franchises of all time, but these videos have only matured and increased my love for the series. Deep down I always saw potential in ODST and wished that a sequel would expand upon everything they attempted, especially making you feel weaker. ODST is always a game I can go back to if I just need to chill out whilst enjoying the comfort food that Halo's gameplay has become for me. I love the Rookie to the point where I was pretty much satisfied with my progress in Halo: Reach after unlocking all the ODST bits. All of my favorite games have featured some kind of blank slate protagonist and I think ODST executed this character in one of the best ways I've seen. Unlike this series of videos, the above comment has no structure and doesn't really conclude to a final point. It's just a random collection of thoughts and feelings that these videos have evoked in me.

[@Raycevick]

In an odd way, making this series of videos has mad me appreciate the series more as well, and I'm glad you feel the same after watching them. I to wish that ODST received a follow up, as it still has so much potential for expansion. Hopefully in the next thirty years of Halo games, one team is able to convince Microsoft to give it another shot. Thanks for watching!

[@pcachu]

That little image of the Superintendent with the plunger is still my XBL gamerpic, incidentally. Keep it clean.

[@mattd5240]

ODST is kinda like Fallout NV, both had short development periods, both were unfinished games that were good but had way more potential.

[@numkie]

Vanguard Productions lots of people think fallout NV was better than 3. I don't agree, after awhile you can't find any enemies in the damn game.

[@doomsday437]

Yeah but nv fixed it self with updates and dlc were odst did not

[@doomsday437]

Bryce Childs I would rather play Halo 5 than ODST and thats saying something

[@doomsday437]

Bryce Childs What im saying is Halo 5 was shit but compared to ODST it was amazing

[@tonythetalkingclock1880]

greed. I hate that the game devs get screwed and the product suffers

[@BlueHawkPictures17]

23:40 I would like to say that in a way, the fact that ODST's feel like spartans can be seen as the realisation that spartans aren't the only badasses in the UNSC. As written in First Strike: "He took a closer look at the ODST: The wild, desperate look in his eyes and the flaming-comet tattoo covering his left deltoid seemed almost alien to the Master Chief. The man had survived the Covenant and the Flood on Halo, and he had been lucky and resourceful enough to escape in one piece. True, his emotional responses were uncontained... but give him the same augmentations and a set of MJOLNIR armor and what was the difference between the two of them? Experience? Training? Discipline? Luck?" In fact one the main themes in First Strike was Master Chief's realisation that the only thing separating the Spartan's from anyone else fighting for earth was the equipment, augmentations and training that Dr. Halsey and Mendez had given them, and that every marine, ODST, and even pilot is a Spartan without armor. This game to me highlights this comparison. Sure it can be lazy development but I like to see it like it was meant to be this way.

[@Raycevick]

ODST's are certainly badass, but in-game development, re-using assets is highly encouraged (especially tight schedules) meaning Bungie made ODST's feel similar so that Halo 3's core gameplay could remain in-tact without time spent on changes.

[@jacksonsmith1715]

Actually ODST's had minor augmentations to survive the impact of the HVT pods

[@f67739]

I think that there should have been a mantling/clambering system that required an extra button press to get on top of the bus. Melee should barely stun enemies and require more hits, backside hits should not be instant-kill. That and weapon inaccuracies should have been implemented due to lesser strength, especially when using something like a beam rifle or plasma rifle.

[@rubencastro811]

Jackson Smith Actually no, ODSTs are not augmented at all. That's a misconception that's being spread thanks to HaloFollower (what a surprise).

[@outboardgull5285]

Whatever happened to his channel? I followed his stuff for awhile but could never really get into it. Also its kind of funny how they turned Buck into a Spartan in 5

[@Tuckerscreator]

Re: Halo 3's twist: That the Ark isn't on Earth.

[@trillionbones89]

It isn't even in the galaxy.

[@zalrohglekgolo6149]

one of the many bad writing decisions in Halo 3

[@wikieditspam]

Why is that bad?

[@trillionbones89]

Zalrohg Lekgolo Yo. What's bad about it?

[@HackingAtLife]

He thought the Ark was a world on Earth??? XD

[@Callsigngrizzly]

Halo 3 ODST will always be my favorite single player halo experience for one main reason, the atmosphere. You are correct, the reasons for the rookie doing what he does and such are fine when you just go with it, but fall apart the second you raise the microscope. But Marty O"Donell carried this game. His score was so well done that it really makes the atmosphere effective. You feel alone. You feel under powered (even if you arent). And you feel like youre in a real enviornment. Going back and playing through ODST is always a joy because of this.

[@rrtt1]

I'll say it. I loved ODST, over 2 in fact. ODST was really unique and I loved the story and atmosphere to it.

[@FEXAZb]

rrtt1 I love the game still, I was disappointed because you were strong and not really as "weak" or how it be to be an ODST soldier. But besides that it's a great game 8/10 solid

[@civilwarfare101]

I prefer it over the trilogy.

[@SearchEast2069]

ODST is a masterpiece. wandering around an occupied New Mombasa to a smooth and moody futuristic jazz soundtrack was and still is a breath of fresh air to this franchise and was a truely unique experience. Jesus... has this franchise taken a giant shit all over itself ever since 343 took over or what?

[@mr.hankeythexmaspooteamhea6136]

is that even a question?

[@mr.hankeythexmaspooteamhea6136]

***** you misspelled 'not a bunch of dumbass sheep'

[@SearchEast2069]

Nah not nostalgic. Just know what a good game when I see one.

[@mr.hankeythexmaspooteamhea6136]

***** nah, they're *awful*

[@SearchEast2069]

***** Idk dude, the story has undeniably taken a shit and the MP feels more like a COD game than a Halo game at this point.

[@Mariopwnzu]

God I never don't have goosebumps while deference for darkness is playing I almost cried when you played it and I don't know why it's just so damn good

[@outboardgull5285]

Bro I did cry haha. great game

[@SHADOWxSN1PER]

I loved how the superintendent directed you to where audio logs were located. I embarked on a play through to collect all audio logs without any outside help. Deep into the game with many audio logs collected and not being able to find more, I assumed I had all logs in this section and began driving my mongoose to the next mission. While driving my mongoose, two roadblocks popped up from the ground wedging the vehicle in between. For 30 seconds I struggled to get my only vehicle loose, but to no avail. Then I began to notice alarms and flashing arrows pointing toward a security door near the road, I decided to investigate. I opened the door and entered; there lie an audio log (one of the last few I needed) along with some engineers. I activated the audio log and stayed, listening to another piece of Sadie's story. After all that, I left the area to go back to the road. The street was silent, the arrows no longer flashed, and my mongoose was released from its roadblock prison. I was left in awe at how badass the moment was, and then I mounted my mongoose and continued to the next mission.

[@Thecabalsgimp]

ODST had the best live action trailer. I get chills hearing those Hungarian screams and welsh folk song.

[@Johnny-lo7xo]

they make HALO Marines show what it's like to be a solider in halo instead of a tank.

[@Johnny-lo7xo]

shood make

[@drag00n77]

Halo3: ODST needed a difficulty above legendary. It makes no sense that a spartan with a depleted energy shield dies faster than an injured ODST. Because Spartans are supposed to have better armor than ODST's. Even on legendary i felt a little too powerful in ODST. I justified this by telling myself that the squad in the game were some of the best ODST's in the universe (ace squad)....That made sense to me because a normal ODST would be less powerful than the playable ones from the game.... ODST's are basically marines with slightly better training and gear.....Spartan II's are basically ODST's with a lifetime of training, Experimental gear, physical augmentations and pinpoint lightning reflexes. Comparing an ODST against a Spartan II is like comparing your girlfriend to Sara Jean Underwood.....Your girlfriend is special in her own way and gets the job done...but Sara Jean Underwood is close to perfection....

[@myhops]

except that Sara Jean Underwood is probably very expensive.

[@Johnny-lo7xo]

I mean it the game would be more realistic and it would have the halo deal of course just less stronger

[@drag00n77]

OnyxToro Spartans are very expensive so the comparison fits

[@tobsmonster2]

As a fan of the series since the original on the classic Xbox, I find these extensive reviews to be very entertaining. I agree with you on many points within this review, but especially the idea that story and setting of ODST had so much more potential that just went untapped. A bit of a missed opportunity in a way, though I feel Bungie would've gotten there, had they the time. That said, what they achieved anyway is still something, I as a fan, am glad to have experienced. Tone is definitely the word that comes to mind for me and I think they absolutely nailed it. Through music etc. I really did feel the loneliness I think they were going for, but the vision just didn't translate as well on the side of gameplay & story. Something you touched on in this review was the difficulty of the enemies and how imposing they should be when you're playing as an ODST rather than a Spartan. Something I loved about Reach in particular (playing through on Legendary at least) was how much of a challenge enemies presented throughout the game (Elites mostly and everything else to a lesser extent). I really felt like the underdog going up against an unfair and overwhelming force, and in that way I've thought that Bungie achieved some of what they weren't able to in ODST. Anyway, thanks for this and I'm very much looking forward to the Reach review :)

[@Raycevick]

Thanks for the comment! I'm always glad to read an extensive response from people who watch.

[@zalrohglekgolo6149]

Halo ODST was $45 at full price, I would know, I sold it at Gamestop as my first job. it wasnt $60.

[@geraldorivia7153]

Zalrohg Lekgolo thank you, I was confused as I bought it for $45 not long after it came out

[@TheJayson8899]

I assume you're American?

[@ElaborateTiger]

It was a great deal for newcomers to the game but it was a bit frustrating to have bought all the DLC on Halo 3 and then have it all appear in a single purchase again in the Mythic disk, was good to alleviate some space on my then 20GB hard drive though.

[@cynicalgold9992]

I got it for five bucks lmao

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@@cynicalgold9992 Ditto - why buy a game soon as its released when you can get an updated version if you just wait a little while. Ten years has to be a millisecond for a Daedra.

[@willdai]

You definitely deserve more subs

[@Raycevick]

Probably has to do with my output, due to a full-time job I just can't get these videos made as often as I'd like to. Thanks for the compliment.

[@BushMasterFlex69]

I think it is possible to do well on KZbin and not put out much videos. Xbox Ahoy (or just Ahoy now) is a good example of that. Mind you, he did have an established sub-base of CoD players already; but they are also quick to abandon. He gets tonnes of views still with his hour long videos haha. Im hoping the right person watches your content and gets you the exposure you deserve

[@adamfrisk956]

You really do. I disagree with your view on some aspects of Halo's design, but even then your criticism is valid as an opinion and backed up by logic. Maybe not quite Super Bunnyhop level, but then again, almost nothing is. You might want to consider a partnership with him, due to your different game preferences completing each other. Might be like Siskel and Ebert, or like RedLetterMedia guys.

[@Raycevick]

I'd love to collaborate with Bunnyhop, but he's a bigger KZbinr, I'm in another country, and there's no guarantee that we'd have chemistry. But given the opportunity, I'd love to.

[@HackingAtLife]

You’re kidding?

[@ODST104]

I personally still love ODST. I find it a hell of a fun game.

[@HackingAtLife]

Yeah it’s still a great game, only problem I had with it was that there was no matchmaking

[@civilwarfare101]

It's one of my favorites in the series.

[@tailofspence2214]

I love the Arby n' the Chief references

[@HarperStl]

I really hope (probably against hope itself) we'll get an anniversary edition of ODST to go along with Halo 3 Anniversary. I'd love to see New Mombasa with updated graphics and weather effects. Maybe a piece of paper and some trash drifting along among the debris every now and then. Flickering neon lights sparking down over the broken and ruined storefronts. Pufts of smoke coming from the burned-out or damaged battery cells of the cars around you. Also, it's fun to play as a non-enhanced footsoldier every now and then.

[@outboardgull5285]

I really hope someone who mods games as a hobby gets ahold of it and either ports it to PC (legally) or just enhances the graphics with a mod somehow. I agree

[@davidhoffman6980]

I agree that the ODSTs should have been weaker than the spartans. The grunts and jackals should have been tough enemies and the brutes and elites should have been boss fights.

[@davidhoffman6980]

BriBriTheShyGuy That would have been interesting too. Seeing grunts as tall things.

[@rachupranger9306]

Very true. I wonderful if the team from the halo arma 3 operation trebuchet mod are going to do something like that now that they just recently revealed the covenant.

[@staryoshi06]

They did change the weapon stats and such around a bit, but not to the extent you were thinking.

[@four-en-tee]

The ODSTs are weaker, they just aren't weak enough. What bothers me a lot more is how tall the ODSTs are. Grunts are supposed to be about 5 1/2 feet tall, jackels over 6 feet tall, and elites about 8 feet tall. At the very least, the ODST character models should've been compared against the cars in the game. They look so small by comparison. My issues are more so just with the story and how the missions are tied together though.

[@MEXICANMAU19]

it makes no sense. your not fighting them with your fists, you're shooting them. the bullet doesnt do more damage just because master chief is firing it

[@jerodwolf5582]

How could you hate the saxophone, that's how you were conceived, through smooth jazz

[@Turbine_]

Watched all 4 videos in a row, and I have to ssay this was great. +1 sub.

[@TheMightySinjo]

Well, Halo 3: ODST still rocks my socks to this very day.

[@NYG5]

should have been a game that had a lot of squad based elements. Halo has always had great AI, yet continues to push you further and further into a one man army road. Like you say, the ODST's are just watered down spartans, and all the AI companions still don't have the character that the marines had in halo 1.

[@bonjanglevash]

No. It was fine like it was

[@outboardgull5285]

Maybe if they introduced intuative squad mechanics? I couldnt see that working out well, and to be honest I feel like allied AI get in my way more than help in most squad based games. Maybe if it were something like Republic Commando or Ghost Recons squad mechanics... even so, Im glad they did it the way they did

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Ew, hate the squad stuff in Halo. Just doesn't work well.

[@diniesafin9145]

About 21:10, you do actually have a choice whether to kill them or not. In fact, you actually get an achievement each whether if you either never killed any of them or vice versa. It took me a while to realize this as the subtle differences are shown in certain cutscenes. For example, in the scene where Dare explains what the engineers are, your character would know not to point his weapon at Virgil because you knew that these creatures are harmless. You have to look it up if you (obviously) don't want to do another playthrough. Nevertheless, I love your critical and brutally honest analysis on the Halo games. Keep it up.

[@randomfox12245]

I'm pretty sure the implication is supposed to be that the Rookie is piecing together the events his squad went through upon finding their left behind items and surveying the area around them. Playing into the Noir style of the game, his story is half detective, finding clues and putting the pieces together about what might have happened that left those items where they were and in that state of disrepair. The fact that discovering all the hidden stories about Virgil and Sandra end up changing the final descent and alter the cutscene where the friendly Engineer is revealed support this. If you find all the hidden story nodes around the city then it's Dare who is initially wary of the alien and the Rookie who has her stand down, and he even whistles to assure the Engineer that they're friendlies, and the delivery of Dare's lines explaining what her true mission was are slightly different since she's talking to someone who clearly knows more than she expected him too. That was just what I always took away from it at least. I also give this game extra points in the story department for the Dante's Inferno parallels cuz I'm a dork like that.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Same, I feel like the Dante's Inferno stuff completely went over this guy's head. It re-contextualizes the narrative in a way that made me able to reconcile the moodiness and the good bits of the game with the pulpy dialogue and cheesy romance sub-plot.

[@aolson1111]

@@fuzzydunlop7928 It doesn't re-contextualize anything, it's window dressing meant to convey the illusion of depth. He didn't mention it because has absolutely no thematic resonance and adds no value to the story other than letting some people pretend to be smart when they point out a reference to a poem that has been referenced by hundreds of other games, movies, and books. Devil May Cry did it, but you don't see fans of it making a big deal out of it.

[@aolson1111]

"I'm pretty sure the implication is supposed to be that the Rookie is piecing together the events his squad went through upon finding their left behind items and surveying the area around them." So, what, are you saying he's psychic? Because there's no other way for him to piece together what happened from some random pieces of junk. And he clearly doesn't piece it together, because he only rejoins the main story because he gets a message from Dare, as mentioned in the video.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@@aolson1111 You liked your own comments.

[@GlinkBetweenWorlds]

Excellent video, do more like this

[@wearywanderer7018]

Never has a saxophone been so beautiful to me. This is my favorite halo campaign because of the atmosphere, and it definitely has my favorite soundtrack. I am so thankful for this game.

[@darkcammander55]

The song Deference for Darkness you mentioned is easily my favorite song in the series itself, but did you know that the original name for it had been Rain? I feel that fits a lot more than the current name for it personally. There's no way I could go back into the old forums to find the post that Marty made, but around the time when ODST was in development, he released a sample song to show the community (this one) and the file name was Rain. Also, ODST was very clever about their easter eggs depicting later games. Besides the Remember Reach graffiti, there was a sticker in one of the elevators that said Destiny Awaits. At the time obviously nobody knew what this meant, but it shocked people when Destiny had been shown to the world for the first people, who then realized that the company teased their game years before the halo series had ended fully for Bungie.

[@PumatSol]

Horde mode wasn't overused at the time, though. I remember being super excited for Firefight mode and played it a ton at release. And sure the final race to the finish is used a lot in halo but that doesn't immediately make it a failure for ODST.

[@Soccercrazyigboman]

Goddamn, thank you for reminding me of the amazing soundtrack this game had. A deference for darkness was brilliant!!

[@julianreviews8102]

Sadie's story does tie in, you find her father's corpse and the policeman with you tries to kill you because you know the police chief killed Sadie's father

[@rtasvadum24]

Deference to Darkness is my all time favorite song from Marty/Michael and the only reason I ever picked up the saxophone lmao. This game has a special place in my heart and always will.

[@mrsmiley9772]

Rookie's mission does make sense, he wakes up the night after everything happened. He investigates to find his team and find out what happened to the city. They all unite and finish the job.

[@adamc117]

You get an achievement for killing no huragoks

[@Lead1121]

The thought of being so alone at night hearing the songs play made me feel sad and I loved it

[@gatorsfan15umad]

Found this channel a little while ago; these Halo retrospectives are amazing. I absolutely cannot wait for the Reach video, as Reach was my favorite game of the series. Thanks for the content!

[@Raycevick]

Thanks! I just wrote the script on Reach, now I just need to narrate and edit.

[@dooplon5083]

About the missions bring playable out if order, you actually can't do that on a first playthrough as sections of the map are actually locked off and certain sections will only remain open return through the level select if you reached the appropriate beacon and finished the corresponding flashback mission. However, if you go back to the opening cinematic the hub world gets reset to its initial state and the areas are again locked off. Of course, I agree that there's not much that it adds in terms of play, story, or presentation, but it does mean that your critism of getting late game spoilers from playing out of order is actually invalid since to play them out of order you'd have to have beaten them all before at least once. Also, I it's called Uplift Reserve not Uplift Rescue (as the level takes place in the Uplift Nature Reserve) Otherwise, good review! I hope to see more soon! :)

[@Raycevick]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I replayed ODST on the Master Chief Collection and only had time to briefly play a couple levels on 360 for the video. I guess in the MCC it just opens up the Hub entirely after completing Buck's mission. While I captured for Halo 4, on MCC I noticed it'd play the reveal animations when I picked up a Forerunner weapon even though I'd be on the last mission of the game. I'll probably add a little note to that section of the video. Thanks for the critique! :)

[@metpach]

So let me get this straight, Bungie would be able to be Independent if they 1. Make two more Halo games. 2. Sell Halo to Microsoft. They then joined Activision which pretty much does the same thing Microsoft did by forcing studios to pump out CoD games every year like terrible tasting candy. Sure they got to do a new franchise but even Destiny feel prey to some of the mistake they made with Halo and Microsoft, an overly ambitious and almost impossible project, that due to constraints from Activision and Bungie's own inability to deliver what was promised, forced them to scrap and cut things out, watering down the product like it was 2003 and they were making Halo 2 again.

[@ItatsuMagnatsa]

God... Difference for Darkness might be one of the most Emotional Songs in all of Halo. Miss you Marty and Michael!

[@GaryJojo]

Man I truly appreciate this series. I never really thought about these things until now. Great vid as always.

[@JJDirtBiker]

You CAN play the game without killing them all. There's an achievement for it!

[@graysonbeck5597]

Its so sad seeing all the memories i had playing these

[@pedrochora5725]

i love your videos. i enjoy the long reviews because you can actually focus on the statements you make and show some type of evidence to support them as well or a comparison. you also use your own experience which makes it great. i know im late and that this vid is old but ive been watching your videos for about a month and finally decided to thank you for your great content! so thank you and keep up the great work

[@FullMetalHans]

Dude!, I really like that whenever I see one of your videos I learn something new, superb quality, it shows just how much research you made.

[@SamHaugen]

I have seen all your Halo videos now and loved them. You certainly deserve more views and subs for all your work. I'm looking forward to Halo: Reach. Thanks for doing so much research for these videos--it keeps it interesting.

[@Raycevick]

Thank you for watching! Research is time consuming but really sheds light on many aspects of development.

[@Richey24]

7 years later, 7 years later.

[@SupaThePink]

Your videos are superbly put together. Subbed.

[@bowie7990]

I found your channel a few hours ago and since then you've got to 3,000 subs!

[@MajoraZ]

Holy crap, I never realized it never actually rains in ODST! That's insane, I always associated it with rain, guess that goes to show how good the atmosphere was. Anyways, I normally post a 4-5+{ paragraph response to the points you raise in video, but I don't have too much to add here. I will say that while your point about the actual plot with the rookie's actions making no sense if you dissect then is sort of humrous, I don't think that makes the story bad. It's not something you think about or distracts you as you play, you said yourself that you only realized it later when looking for stuff to bring up after having thought it was one of the best Halo stories. Also, I never really thought the engineers were a twist. Bungie had said and shown screenshots of engineers in marketing materials, and they had been in the novels a number of times by that point and it had already been well established that they were non violent. I similarly yearn for a Halo game in ODST's vein where the gameplay core is fundamentally different and you are more powerless. I think survival horror would work well, you mention in the novels that even jackals and grunts are terrifying, even without getting the flood involved and just having the covenant and ONI you could make a pretty compelling one. Lastly, I want recommend Forward Unto Dawn's 9 Levels underground analysis (www.forwarduntodawn.com/nine-levels-underground/) though, which is a really well written piece about how Sadies story and the game as a whole is rife with symbolism to Dante's Inferno. Forward Unto Dawn in general is one of the few halo community content creators/sites that puts out content as good as yours. More of their articles can be found here: www.forwarduntodawn.com/article-vault/ and here: www.forwarduntodawn.com/article-vault/deep-catalog/

[@Active_Genesis]

You know, your ending points have one fatal flaw that can be described in two words... Legendary. Difficulty.

[@yuchenchen8012]

That’s true for any halo game lol. Halo 3 ODST is way easier on legendary than 1, 2, or even Reach. It doesn’t even feel harder than 3. So what is unique about playing as an ODST? That your face turns red? Just being a rehash of halo 3 legendary encounters is not enough to make me feel like an ODST. There are other ways to make the enemies feel immersively stronger than just upping their health and throwing a bunch of them at you. Always thought Bungie missed an opportunity to truly do something different with halos campaign gameplay

[@KevinOMalleyisonlysmallreally]

I love ODST, for all the reasons that you have outlined that make it lovable. This is great game criticism though. Measured, intelligent and as accurate as possible when dealing with nostalgia and the subjectivity of experience. Very well done.

[@endertecE419]

Honestly I get the best feeling of nostalgia whenever I hear the ODST soundtrack

[@Agtsmirnoff]

I don't agree with much of your opinions, but I do think you deserve more subs.

[@masterskyrunner]

You hate the sax? Jazz is beautiful. Shame!

[@Mr1RV1N]

Nice vid, really enjoyed your analysis. Now im just waiting for your videos on Reach and H4

[@loganpeterson7098]

Love how you edit that game and release year intro thing

[@bruisedspartan4870]

God... The Prepare to Drop theme (1:57) gave me goosebumps... I loved Halo 3: ODST... That's a game that needs a remaster... Seriously.

[@ajollysonnyjim9907]

They really need rookie and master chief to work together in halo 6

[@TsunayoshiSawadaTenth]

Debonairecomet Gaming What they need is Rookie, Chief, the Arbiter and you

[@noh6518]

The Rookie is died, he died by being executed with pistol shot to the head after being captured. Jun from Halo Reach spoke to Buck and said if he didn't die he could have became a Spartan

[@outboardgull5285]

That book that says that isnt cannon though

[@slay-thoven1357]

Excellent review. subbed. looking forward to more quality content!

[@ProVision3187]

these are the best reviews i have ever watched. you deserve for viewers. keep it up because it will come.

[@brittlespy9083]

I know we all have different opinions on odst but we all can admit the soundtrack is amazing.

[@levant5378]

Its the classic case of the silent protagonist meant to be someone you can project yourself onto. ODST is one of the best executions of this idea. Those familiar with the franchise up until ODST knew what they were getting into. You immediately see the covenant ship jump within the city, you see master chief, humanities answer to the covenant leaving. You wake up in the city, confused as to what you are supposed to do and what will happen to you. Its a matter of physical and mental survival. You push on into the night with one objective, to find your team. This idea works amazingly. You get to see and experience what happened to your team while you were out of action, the struggles they went through. The story being drip-fed to you in such a way while in contrast to the isolated situation you find yourself in is the perfect summary of what this game is, a product for the fans. It shows you the other side of the coin. What was happening outside of the character of master chief. What it would have been like for you to be a grunt, left to fend off the covenant while the proclaimed saviour of humanity is gone. It is perhaps the only game in the series were such an ending is not only justified but all the better for it. The triumphant ODST's lose. You then try to survive, run, and hold out for rescue before everything about your mission,t he sole reason you went into the city, is lost. You may be able to rinse the covenant like master chief could, but unlike master chief, your story is one of defeat, one of survival. I think thats why the game is so loved, it gives the player a place int he halo universe. You arent master chief anymore, just some grunt. Also firefight was sick.

[@TheFacelessStoryMaker]

*Buck:* Veronica what's with all the dead Elites? *Veronica:* What do you mean? *Buck:* Looks like a family feud like they were killed by Brutes. Is there something I should know? *Veronica:* It's classified. *Buck:* Ah, some things never change. One of the best subtle little dialogue lines that place ODST where it is in the timeline.

[@robinnewmeyer]

Wow man, i'm impressed by the quality of your video analysis. Bravo

[@vitalhuragok5625]

5:58 that's why it's called 'Halo 3: ODST' can you not see the *3*??? Thats why the animations, guns, engine, are similar!

[@majorearl12]

I can agree with this one. ODST felt to much as a weakened Halo 3. I would love a Halo game where i am faced against the Covenant and i cant fight them all easily like you can as the Chief or in Reach. I want to be a legitimate ODST, or Marine, who can die easily and face uncountable enemies. A Halo game centered around being a Marine or ODST where you feel like one would be amazing. You can just jump into any vehicle or pick up any weapon, it would have to be done as a huge game made with co-operative gameplay in mind, as well as adding in new aspects to Halo. But it would be an awesome game nonetheless, ODST is a good game to me as well, came out on my birthday and didnt play it through until i couldnt afford Gold so i just played through the campaign of it, and loved its atmosphere. Love these videos!

[@torivolz7523]

I love these videos omg they are so well said and written and edited

[@arbiter-]

21:09 I'm pretty sure you can complete the campaign without killing an Engineer. I distinctly remember an achievement for doing so.

[@JayPenrake]

Still 100 tiimes better than halo 5 imo, except forge, thats all halo 5 did right :)

[@Raycevick]

Halo 5 did forge better than ODST...?

[@JayPenrake]

yeah, i'm impressed with H5's forge. Textures, prefabs, welding, custom vehicles. It's all good, just should have been released ON day 1

[@JayPenrake]

+Dark Ryuki I wasn't the one who said there was forge on ODST, so don't call me the dumbass, dumbass. Weeb.

[@JayPenrake]

i didn't mean it like that, i meant that Halo 5 is shit overall compared to ODST, but I do have to say that the Halo 5 forge is good. Stop calling people a dumbass for no good reason. Disgrace to my country, you fuckin' weebs. Not all of you, but ones like you. Just rude for no good reason.

[@JayPenrake]

ok, maybe you're not a weeb. An otaku then? How does that statement makes me like a "kid that only plays COD" Write me an essay. I fucking hate COD. With a passion, so don't go on about me liking it when nothing I say suggests that. Halo 2 got me into gaming, not COD.

[@Numley]

I couldn't help but watching all your Halo summary videos in one single day and I don't regret a single minute spent on this. Naturally I disagreed every now and then but those were just subjective details. Overall you did nothing but a brilliant job. In a way it's magical how Halo creates a bond between people from all over the globe (Germany in my case) only because they share the same thoughts and feelings about a game. Honestly, thank you Lucas.

[@Raycevick]

No, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the series.

[@jasoninkurai5463]

Raycevick When is "Halo 4: 4 years later..." coming out?

[@Raycevick]

I'm currently writing the script. It'll be out before the new year.

[@Numley]

Years later and I still come back to the series regularly :)

[@ABendzify]

Your Halo dissections are awesome. You deserve all the views and a gold standard stamp for content quality.

[@jacend9793]

Really well done... Honestly Surprised you only have this many subs. Your videos are well paced and interesting. Also your voice reminds me of a documentary.... that may not be a plus.

[@Raycevick]

I do have a Documentary Studies Certificate, so I'll take that as a plus. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@mononoke721]

So ODST's shouldn't be able to no-scope in your opinion? A bit much I think. Also, no Firefight? Considering your previous retrospectives were relatively comprehensive, this omission is rather glaring.

[@Raycevick]

Now that you mention it, I'm not opposed to no-scoping per se. The clip I showed when making that comment is to show what I think is too similar to Chief for its own good. I just can't imagine an otherwise relatable human-being earning hip-fired headshots so casually. As said, it's not the game's fault since it was made in a year, its just a shame playing as a non-supersoldier hero wasn't able to be explored in more depth. As for Firefight, it was purely a lack of time and not knowing anyone with a 360 hooked up. Firefight went on to be covered in my Halo Reach breakdown.

[@999drawing]

If u want an unforgiving halo game, just play halo 2 legendary

[@Raycevick]

Halo 2 Legendary isn't unforgiving, it's downright torture.

[@999drawing]

A realistic halo game would be great about now that halo is basically a Saturday morning cartoon both in plot and art style :)

[@Don-tg1ns]

i actually haven't played halo 2 on legendary yet... now i dont want to..

[@999drawing]

u wont even beat cairo stations first battle

[@TheJayson8899]

You will when you find the plasma pistol

[@DoGlowy]

Kudos for making these videos :) I can see the heart you've put into their production

[@Afterthought_]

Your content is awesome! I would love to see these kind of videos done for more franchises or games!

[@JackMSmithMusic]

I still think that this is one of the best halos

[@3hunderedthirtythree]

odst was the last halo game with a campaign that i liked. its also got the best firefight in the franchise

[@mrsmiley9772]

What font do you use for the section titles? Like One Big (Sort of) Happy Reunion

[@AlongCameASpider]

Sadly, the Rookie was eventually killed by a rebel, and as a hostage.

[@Tschekju]

He's killedy by Mickey

[@AlongCameASpider]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Mickey turned out to be a traitor at the end of that novel?

[@apieceofcrap8794]

Nope that book is not cannon, we the fans must reject the book and rebel against 343. #Makehalogreatagain

[@AlongCameASpider]

Sadly, I don't think Halo will be great again :/

[@outboardgull5285]

Its a great series, but I pretty much am ignoring everything after Halo 4. The old series is still great, all we can do as fans to make the current stuff good is provide input and show (with our wallets?) if we like what 343 Industries and Microsoft are doing with the series now (Im not a fan of the current Halo)